A three-bay shop handles routine maintenance and repairs. The service truck [left] is on hand for road repairs and can reach most trucks that require assistance in the carrier's area within a 250-mile radius of Louisville. The International tractor at right awaits preventive service.

A Bulk First LLC pneumatic bulker arrives at a cement plant near Louisville KY where the cement hauler is based. The carrier transports cement and fly ash within a 250-mile radius of Louisville, providing customers with just-in-time service.

Dewell Gossett acquired Bulk First in 2008, but he isn't a newcomer to the dry bulk industry. He served as a long-time employee of a ready-mix company before becoming general manager of the Louisville trucking division and later purchasing it.